Thanks! And thoughts on the final draft grade?

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by SAGA45

Well, until...

So, Burkholder's opinion doesn't matter despite the fact Brett Veach leaned on it and that he and his team have been entrusted with/ are responsible for the design and oversight of Simmons' continued rehab/recovery, ultimately affecting how his body responds and continues to heal? That's crazy!

I'm kidding. Seriously, I get what you're trying to say...that in the end, regardless of what anyone thinks (Burkholder included), it's Simmons' body against unfavorable odds per the data. However, my point is that the same data was no doubt factored into the Chiefs' examination of his knee and the ultimate decision to draft him.

Now, does that mean they KNOW he'll defy those odds? No, it does not, nor does it mean they made the right choice, as only time will bear that out. Nonetheless, Burkholder (despite his academic shortcomings ) and his staff are LEGIT and held in high esteem both inside and outside of league circles for a reason. They also know more about Simmons' healing than will ever be publicly disclosed other than reports he's ahead of schedule. So, for them to feel good enough about Simmons medically to take him at 32, to me, speaks volumes.

To DJ's point earlier, this isn't to say Burkholder and the Chiefs are infallible. They've definitely been wrong where we've been right. However, that does not mean our guess (or projection as Duncan stated before) is as good as theirs because, unlike ours, their projections/guesses, both in terms of the sports medicine side and player eval side, are backed by and based on first-hand, boots-to-ground experience and knowledge in their respective fields that spans decades, collectively culminating in five Super Bowl appearances in six years with three wins including a back-to-back..

One would think that fact alone would buy the Chiefs the benefit of the doubt here but hey to each his own. I respect and understand the opinions of those who just simply don't feel good about Simmons. The history of the injury supports your angst and concerns. Nevertheless, I feel like he's in highly qualified and capable hands thus I'm a bit more optimistic that the pick actually pans out.

I'm glad you understood what I was trying to relay, and this point hits it on the head. The history does not support the Chiefs, Burkholder, Simmons, etc. It just simply doesn't. We have to hope he beats those odds.

The real point of it is, the Chiefs took an enormous risk regardless of who gave what opinion. That's a franchise-altering pick if it does or does not work out.

Originally Posted by MahomesMagic

Exactly.


You can't factor in guys from 25 years ago or dudes who not only blew out their patellar tendon but had other things break too.

There is no way the Chiefs would use even a low 1st round pick on a guy they believed had a 75% chance of busting completely on medical alone.

You never looked at the data. The data is up to 2 years ago, and I can tell you recency hasn't made things any better. The past 2 seasons haven't seen any further increases in the likelihood of the injury being something most players can overcome. None. I don't know what's so hard to understand there.